Mortal Kombat II gave players more of everything the first game had; more characters, more finishing moves, more secrets, more stages... for fans, it was like God had developed this game Himself.

MK II is often held to be the pinnacle of the series. Back in the '90's, this was true. Now, it isn't so much. It's still good, especially in retrospect to the rest of the series, but I'd rather be playing Deception or MK Vs. DC Universe. The game hasn't aged well, but it still does hold better than any of the other MK games before the turn of the millennium.

Despite having Friendships and Babalities, and some authentically cheesy Fatalities and so forth, MK II represents the series before it truly seemed to get ridiculous. The humor in MK II is more genuine dark/macabre humor, with a little shot at soccer moms that whined about the previous entry's violence for good measure.

Gameplay is relatively solid for the timeframe of its release. Control is still a bit more jerky and stiff than a few other big name fighters that were around at the time, but it is still miles better than most of the lesser-known games. The dial-a-combo (or kombo, if you prefer) had yet to be introduced, which is the source of bane for many players, so combos were more freely formed.

So if you're looking for the best in old-school Kombat, then look no further. MK II is the most widely available game in the series, so one shouldn't have too much trouble tracking it down. Live long and Fatality.